House Republicans have an opportunity to pass transportation legislation that would help create new jobs, fix our roads and bridges, and improve our commutes. What have they decided to do instead? Load up their version of a transportation bill (HR. 7) with an ideological wish list that will prevent Congress from...

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), the new chair of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, is sponsoring federal legislation aimed at blocking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from updating Clean Air Act pollution standards. Today his committee is expected to pass Upton's "bad air bill" in a largely party-line vote....

With all the EPA-bashing these days by some in Congress, it's nice to remind everyone that the Clean Air Act is actually good for us. It just so happens that the agency issued a new study today touting the many health benefits of this landmark law.

According...

Congress, I really think it's time we break up.  In case you're wondering, it's not me, it's you. 

Why am I doing this?  Well, let's just say that you're bad for my health.  I'm talking about the fact that a large number of your elected members just hate the Environmental Protection Agency, which happens...

Ashley Judd won't back down.  Last week proponents of mountaintop removal hung a banner at a coal industry-sponsored golf tournament in eastern Kentucky, mocking the actress for her efforts to raise awareness of the environmental, economic and cultural damage being...

"The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; with me you are but aliens and tenants.  Throughout the land that you hold, you shall provide for the redemption of the land."  (Leviticus 25:23-24)

"In another hundred...

I think I'm about to start a trend.  Trust me, once you finish reading this you'll be hooked. 

A friend recently informed me about this website, which allows you to create your own wall "art" like those ubiquitous and often insipid motivational posters adorning offices...

In a reprise of the debate between NRDC's Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Massey Coal CEO Don Blankenship over mountaintop removal coal mining, the Washington newspaper The Hill published dueling pieces by both adversaries in today's edition.  Back in January,...

On May 19th at 8pm a star-studded line-up will take the stage at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium for the Music Saves Mountains concert, presented by the Natural Resources Defense Council. 

This will be the biggest gathering ever of music stars coming together to raise awareness about mountaintop removal coal mining, which is devastating Appalachia.  Featured...

As someone who spent considerable time tracking every good, bad, and ugly environmental action by the Bush administration, I can say without a doubt that things are looking a whole lot brighter under the new regime.  To wit, NRDC just...

I don't know Chris Chanlett, but I like his style.  A self-described farmer and landscaper, he writes in the Charleston Gazette about his unique perspective on the "coal war" being waged in Appalachia.  On one side is the industry, with propaganda efforts...

The Interior Department announced yesterday that it is taking immediate steps to strengthen oversight of state-approved surface coal mining operations -- including mountaintop removal -- and to impose tighter restrictions on the dumping of mining waste in steams.

In a statement issued by the agency,...

Nashville is "Music City", the home of country music -- but the heart and soul of this celebrated American musical genre lies a few hundred miles east in the Appalachian Mountains.  Yes indeed, Appalachia is where country music was born.  And...

Another Veterans' Day is upon us, a time to reflect on our armed servicemen and women who are stationed around the world to protect us.  Many of these brave soldiers, sailors and marines have spent years serving in Afghanistan,...

Rising above a picturesque valley in southern West Virginia, like an oasis in the midst of coal country, Coal River Mountain represents the last, best hope for a community resisting the legacy of dirty energy in this part of...

What is up with the U.S. Department of Interior these days?  Unlike the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which appears to be walking the walk on mountaintop removal coal mining thanks to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson's leadership, it's...

So, we know the 'hidden costs' of dirty energy top $120 billion a year for Americans.  But what about the benefits of clean energy?

Try this on for size: new analysis shows that adopting comprehensive clean energy and climate...

Since many of our elected leaders seem to be worried about costs, they should consider this: fossil fuels cost the United States about $120 billion a year, according to a study by the National Academy of Sciences.  This cost is measured primarily...

Kudos to Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) for bird-dogging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the need to regulate pollution from coal-fired power plants.  Yesterday, Rep. Markey sent a letter to EPA requesting information on the agency's findings related...

Go tell it on the mountain!

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking unprecedented action to bring to an end the saga of the infamous Spruce Mine, jamming a stake in the heart of what would have been the largest mountaintop removal project in the...